The next kingdom
to be established was that of the Imperial Guptas (4th-6th century) who unified
the larger part of the country and gave India its greatest period of art. The
later caves at Ajanta and Ellora belong to this age. The famous Sanskrit poet
and playwright, Kalidasa, lived in this era and placed his masterpiece
Shakuntala, in a locale near Ajmer. A few remains of late Gupta temples are
found scattered in Rajasthan, at Mandore (Jodhpur) and Jhalrapatan (Jhalawar).
King Harsha (600 AD) ruled at Kanauj and his line continued down to Raja
Jaichand who was finally defeated by Mohammed Ghori in 1191. His descendants
rose again to power as the Rathores of Marwar (Jodhpur). After the
decline of the Guptas, the north was again subjected to innumerable invasions.